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Inchgreen
' Inchsreen.jpg|Inchgreen owned by Paddy McCann. scan0002.jpg|It is at Martin Mehaffeys farm, Larne, N.Ireland scan0003.jpg|being restored by Trevor Marsden. Finished Inchgreen 4.jpg|The project was completed by early July 2012 Laura iPhone 105.JPG|You can watch a short video of it moving by using the link available|link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HNCn0-67rY Laura iPhone 104.JPG|It will be on show at the Dorset Steam Fair between the 29 Aug - 2 Sept 2012 ' Inchgreen of Greenock in Scotland were an established Engineering light Company that decided to Build a Excavator in the late 1950s.Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine The Company was a subsidiary of a marine and Shipbuilding company in Glasgow. There is a dry dock i Greenock still known as Inchgreen Dock.Contract Journal Jetty built in Greenock Dry Dock History A Article in the Greenock Telegraph in 195? reads - "Inchgreen Engineering Co. to build industrial tractor equipment under licence from Wagner Iron Works, Milwaukee."various posts on CMN The Company built the [[Inchgreen Beaver] 1st based on the US design. They then went on to engineer a couple of their own designs built on Fordson Skid units (as used by JCB and others at that time). The design had a tubular frame/chassis, that is reported to have had welding related problems. This was redesigned by Inchgreen into the IG5 still based on a Fordson E1A Major with hydraulics from Hamworthy pump, Dowty control valves with a Hydraulic pressure of 2000 psi and Nichol & Andrew rams. All the major fabrications were manufactured by the Vulcan works of Paisley. When Ford replaced the Fordson E1A Major with the Ford 5000 the machine had to have a major redesign and became the IG6 in 1965/6 The IG6 was based on the new Ford 5000 series tractor, with a redesigned frame, Dowty hydraulics control valves and pump,. The front loader used Nichol and Andrews rams and the back actor, had Power Jacks Ltd. The back actor used a Dowty Actuator slewing motor. A cab by local firm Scottish Aviation in Prestwick was used. Front stub axles from Ford's Thames Trader truck. Problems Variouse problems beset the machines;Post on [[CMN] by 'Hamish' * Weld Quality, - to quote a former service engineer for the Co. "The company which carried out the fabrication was at the time (was) involved in mining machinery fabrication and should have been better than they turned out to be." * Design issues with sub contractors. - "They were unable to read first angle projection drawings so we had some parts on up-side-down" ! * The Dowty hydraulic pumps also gave a lot of trouble, mainly due to the bearings wearing and the rotors wiping(scoring) the aluminium housing. (note JCB used Dowty pumps for a time aswell) The Company stopped production in 196? due to the parent company amalgamating the company with their shipbuilding interests namely Scotts of Greenock. and using the facility for marine products. This was after spending £100,000 on welding fixtures to improve the fabrications,these were never used and were scrapped at the jig makers. Related Corporate history Established on 1 January 1970, Scott Lithgow Ltd was the product of an amalgamation of the business interests of Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland established in 1711 and Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow, Scotland, established in 1874. The merger was established as a direct result of the Geddes Committee of Enquiry into the Shipbuilding Industry (1966) on a 60/40 share basis with Scotts' having control of the larger portion. On 30 April 1973, the company acquired Cowal Engineering Co Ltd which had two wholly owned subsidiaries, Greenock Engineering Co Ltd and Inchgreen Engineering Co Ltd. Inchgreen Engineering Co Ltd changed its name in December 1976 to Scott Lithgow (Offshore) Ltd to become the outlet for the company's offshore work. Developments This was also after developing a self levelling front loader bucket and an extending back actor arm which extended about another 4 feet. Specials * 2 "specials" were built as loading shovels, ** One was made for use in the sugar sheds in the James Watt Dock Greenock and was fitted with an International Twin Disc torque converter, 2 speeds forward and reverse, the change could be made without stopping. ** The other loading shovel was for the whisky bottle maker United Glass of Glasgow, which was fitted with solid tyres. Model range * Inchgreen Beaver 195?/6? - Wagner design * Inchgreen IG5 - 196?-65 - Based on the [[Fordson E1A Major - * Inchgreen IG6 - 1965- - Based on the Ford 5000 skid, with only about 30 of the IG 6 model built. Preservation ), but no other details are available on it]] Theses are very rare as only a small number were built and they are little known makes so often mistaken for other Fordson based machines. ;Known examples * Restored example (shown top right - before and after) in Northern Ireland belonging to Paddy McCan - FZI 23 which has been demonstrated at GDSF in 2012 and 2013. * The machine shown right - location unknown ! * A photo has appeared in Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine of a Inchgreen loader of similar design, with a weight block instead of backactor, that was shown at en event in Fife Scotland.Classic Plant & Machinery Magazine, September 2010 * A machine was reported on a forum as existing in Northern Ireland. * One for sale in Wicklow, Ireland - April 2012 - http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/tractors/3193958 * A Inchgreen IG5 was shown on the Blue Force stand at the 2012 Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show. * If you know of any more examples please add details here and a photo or two. Inchgreen IG5 - at Newark 2012 - IMG 4473.JPG Inchgreen IG-5 at Newark 2012 - IMG 4385.JPG Inchgreen IG-5 backhoe (Dowty rotator) - IMG 4467.JPG of 1964]] See also * List of Construction Plant Manufacturers References / sources External links Category:Companies of Scotland Category:Excavator manufacturer Category:Inchgreen